Popcorn popper having automatic buttering means

ABSTRACT

POPCORN POPPER HAS COVER WITH BUTTER-RECEIVING SUPPORT. TEMPERATURE AT END OF POPPING MELTS BUTTER WHICH PASSES THROUGH APERTURES IN SUPPORT TO DRIP OVER POPPED CORN.

J. E. COLE Feb. 12, 1974 POPCORN POPPER HAVING AUTOMATIC BUTTERING MEANS Original Filed April 23, 1971 INVENTOR. Joseph E. Col e QZ/v/om ATTORNEY.

United States Patent Office Re. 27,920 Reissued Feb. 12, 1974 27,920 POPCORN POPPER HAVING AUTOMATIC BUTTERING MEANS Joseph E. Cole, Wellesley, Mass., assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn. Original No. 3,722,399, dated Mar. 27, 1973, Ser. No. 136,892, Apr. 23, 1971. Application for reissue Sept. 11, 1973, Ser. No. 394,281

l Int. Cl. A23l 1.1/18 U.S. Cl. 99--323.8 4 Claims Matter enclosed ln heavy brackets appears In the original patent but forms no part ot this reissue specilication; matter prlnted in italics indicates the additions made by reissue.

ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Popcorn popper has cover with butter-receiving support. Temperature at end of popping melts butter which passes through apertures in support to drip over popped corn.

This invention relates to a popcorn popper. More specilcally, this invention relates to a popcorn popper hvaing automatic popcorn buttering means.

In poppers of the prior art, mechanical means have been provided to dispense butter or other seasoning onto the finished popcorn. Usually, these means have been manually actuated or mechanically actuated through some timing device.

The present invention has for an object an extremely simple structure which provides automatic buttering of the finished popcorn at the appropriate time. It is inexpensive and simple to manufacture and foolproof in operation.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following specification including the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a centerline sectional view showing at the beginning of operation a popcorn popper embodying the invention and provided with a supply of unpopped corn in the popping area and solid butter pats in the cover recess;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the operation advanced to a point where the popping is nearly complete and the butter is being dispensed;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged top view of a cap comprising a oor of the butter recess; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of FIG. 3.

Briey, the invention is a popcorn popper comprising a popping receptacle having heating means and a cover. The cover has a butter-receiving support in heat exchange relation with the receptacle. The tioor of the support has apertures which will not permit passage of solid butter pats but will permit the passage of melted butter.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, a popper embodying the invention is designated in FIG. l. It comprises a base 12 and a cover 14. The base has a plastic frame which supports a conventional heating means 16 disposed under a popcorn popping receptacle 18 mounted in the base. As shown in the drawings, the cover is also of plastic.

A sifter 20 having perforatons in a central zone may be provided optionally to permit unpopped kernels at the end of the pop to fall through and thus separate from the popped corn in a manner known in the art.

The oover 14 comprises diametrically opposed outward supporting handles 22 extending outward from a lip 24 which tits into the receptacle. Extending upward from the lip 24 is a frusto-conical side wall 26 and a top wall 28. A butterreceiving support comprising recess 30 is formed by an annular downwardly extending wall 32 which has a plastic cap 34 adapted to snap about its lower end. The cap provides door means for the recess.

As shown in FIG. 3, the plastic cap 34 is circular in shape with an upturned skirt 36 having an inward annular projection 38 adapted to snap over nibs 40 at the bottom of the wall 32. The cap has a plurality of apertures 42 through which melted butter may drip onto the popcorn and the cap has a central upward mound 44 which directs melted butter towards the apertures. A plurality of upward radial ribs 46 on the top of the mound 44 support the butter pats BP and permit heating air to circulate underneath and through them to facilitate melting.

In operation, FIG. l, kernels K of unpopped corn are placed in the receptacle 18 on top of the silfter 20 or directly in the receptacle 18 itself if it is desired to operate without the sifter 20. Pats of butter BP are placed in the butter-receiving recess 30 and the cap 34 is installed thereon. The heating means 16 is activated in the usual way. When the corn is virtually through popping (FIG. 2), the heat generated will raise the temperature of the butter in chamber 30 and the pats will become melting butter MB. The uid butter owing down the mound 44 will drip through the apertures 42 onto the popped corn. When this process is complete, the cover 14 may be removed in the conventional way and the popcorn served.

It will be understood that some control of the melting can be achieved by varying the size of the ribs 46. Because the surface of the cap is Warm toward the end of the cooking cycle, the more surface contact that the butter or margarine has with the cap the sooner the melting will commence and the more rapidly it will proceed. The term butter herein and in the claims is meant to include margarine and other butter substitutes.

Appliances embodying my invention have proved economical to manufacture and effective in operation. Variations are possible from the embodiment shown still falling within the scope of the following claim language:

I claim:

1. An electric corn popper comprising a receptacle, a heating element in heat-exchange relation with the receptacle, and a [molded transparent] plastic cover, the cover having a centrally disposed butter compartment, said compartment being also of [transparent molded] plastic, the butter compartment being enclosed and being defined by an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion, one of the portions being iixedly carried by the cover and the other portion being removable from the one portion to provide access into the compartment, and said lower portion including a generally horizontal floor formed with a plurality of apertures at least about the margin of the floor, the said other portion being a plastic cap having an annular peripheral wall which nterengages with the outer surface of the said one portion to foin the said other portion and the said one portion, the apertures being adapted not to pass chunks of butter but adapted to pass melted butter to drip on the com in the popper below when the heat in the popper melts the butter in the compartment.

2. An electric corn popper comprising a receptacle, a heating element in heat-exchange relation with the receptacle, and a [transparent molded] plastic cover, the cover having a centrally disposed butter compartment, the butter compartment being enclosed and being defined by an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion, one of the portions being fixedly carried by the cover and the other portion being removable from the one portion to provide access into the compartment, the said lower portion including a generally horizontal oor formed with a plurality of apertures about the margin of the floor, the center of the oor being substantially imperforate, interengageable snap-n means carried by said portions for detachably holding said portions n operative relation, and the apertures being adapted not to pass chunks of butter but adapted to pass melted butter to drip on the corn in the popper below when the heat in the proper melts the butter in the compartment.

3. An electric corn popper comprising a receptacle, a heating element in heat-exchange relation with the receptacle, and a [transparent molded] plastic cover, the cover having a centrally disposed butter compartment, the butter compartment being enclosed and being defined by an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion, one of the portions being fixedly carried by the cover and the other portion being removable from the one portion to provide access into the compartment, the said lower portion including a generally horizontal floor formed with a plurality of apertures about the margin of the floor, the center of the ioor being higher than the said margin, the apertures being adapted not to pass chunks of butter but adapted to pass melted butter to drip on the corn in the popper below when the heat in the popper melts the butter in the compartment.

4. A11 electric corn popper as described in claim 3 wherein the oor has upstanding ribs to support such butter chunks.

patent. i

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,316,989 4/1943 Scott^'.. i '99-73238 2,756,905 7/ 1956 Wickesberg 222-146 2,771,836 11/1956 Denehie et al. 99-"-323'.8 X 2,843,080 7/1958 Woodruff 99-323-8`X 2,901,587 8/1959 Burresor L 21B-4441 2,923,803 2/1960 Kue'ser L 4219-441 3,294,546 12/1966 Fingerhut 99-3238 X 3,611,910 10/1971 Huges 99-6235 2,348,507 5/1944 Wells 4994-347 907,370 12/1908 Jones 99-345 2,637,656 5/1953 Baunach 99-323.5 1,245,711 11/1917 Happer 99`345 1,245,710 11/1917 Happer 99,-345 831,088 9/1906 McCaughey 9944345 1,380,656 6/1921 Lauth 99-345 X 1,477,704 12/1923 Holcomb et al 99--323.9 1,658,486 2/1928 Howe 99'323.8 2,017,293 10/1935 Priest 99-323.8 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 568,442 4/ 1945 Great Britain 99-347 3,705 2/ 1902 Great Britain 99-345 BILLY J. WILHITE, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

